Home - A Malec Fanfiction
by xtrovertedminds
Summary: Throughout the ten years without his former lover, Alec Lightwood, the High Warlock of Brooklyn has trapped himself in isolation, every day holding on to the hope that he might see his lover again. So when an all too familiar face appears in front of his apartment on Alec's birthday, Magnus Bane begins his journey of reconciling with the missing piece of his heart - his home.
1. ONE

**HOME**

CHAPTER ONE

 _September 12, 2030_

Raindrops pattered against the glass windows of Magnus's apartment, roar of thunders echoing across the hall. The weather screamed melancholy, and so did the warlock's heart. Though today would normally be one of the happiest days of his life, his now chapped lips could not form a smile, no matter how hard he tried. On the palm of his right hand laid a red omamori charm; _the_ omamori charm. His glistening cat eyes carrassed the beautiful gift before he closed his hand, clutching the amulet, as if he's gripping onto the last piece of his heart.

Today marked Alec's birthday, and ten years since he left for good.

The memory of his departure to Idris still lingered in his mind, but the recollection was slowly dwindling. The taste of their last kiss has lost its flavour, and the words of their last goodbye have become mere whispers. Every year, on this very day, Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brookyln, would sequester himself in his apartment, and sit on the couch where the ceaseless memory of Alec's first night over loomed.

The warlock, eyes brimming with unshed tears, let out a shaky sigh. "When are you coming home?" he croaked. His eyes closed, and tears percolated through the tiny gap between his eyelids and trickled down his face. Another piece of his heart broke, and the void inside grew.

As Magnus began to break down, a sudden knock on the door snapped him out of his despair. _Another demand,_ he thought. Composing himself, Magnus carefully stood up, wiped the tears off his face gently, and advanced to the door.

Stood outside was the beautiful Isabelle Lightwood. Ten years only enhanced her enthralling beauty. Upon the sight of the glamorous shadowhunter, Magnus gasped in shock. "Isabelle?" he muttered in disbelief. "You came back?" Izzy laughed at his confusion, and proceeded to slip past him and into the apartment.

"Magnus Bane, you haven't changed one bit, have you?" she giggled. Magnus cracked a smile.

"Oh I have aged, but my immorality does great wonders to my looks. But look at you darling, still as beautiful as before, even more so if that's possible," he replied, a tinge of excitement laced in his voice. Izzy snickered and shook her head, but her grin disappeared upon catching the sight of a tear on Magnus's cheek.

Izzy's face softened. Her hand found its way to Magnus's face, and cupped his cheek. "You okay?" Taking her hand away, he masked whatever sorrow his heart was enduring with a lopsided grin.

"I am. It's been a decade, I'll be fine."

"You know I tried getting him to come back here with me. It's just that -"

"He's busy," Magnus cut her off. "Oh well, he's a _great_ servant to The Clave. I was his distraction-"

"You weren't Mags." Izzy walked towards the worn down warlock and wrapped her arms around him, her nose buried in the crook of his neck. A gesture that reminded Magnus so much of Alec. _T_ _oo_ much of him. The warlock soon returned the hug just for a moment before tenderly disentangling himself from her grip.

"Thank you. But is there a particular reason as to why you're here?"

Izzy tensed for a second, and murmured, "We need your help," she paused, "back at Idris." Magnus sighed and twirled around. Placing a finger on his chin, he inquired,

"What kind of help?"

"Just identifying some kind of demon," she said with a tinge of nonchalance, a feature that seemed a little too suspicious to Magnus.

"Some kind of demon?" he casually asked. "So this," - he wandered off to a corner - "demon," - he threw an amused glance at Izzy - "came out of nowhere and started to attack...?" he trailed off.

"Shadowhunters."

"Shadowhunters," he repeated with slight bewilderment, "in Idris?"

"In Idris," Izzy said with confidence.

"Well, that's new."

"Yes, it is very. That's why we need the best warlock to help us."

" _Duh_ ," Magnus muttered, and rolled his eyes. "Fine." Izzy beamed and let out a muffled squeal. "But, there _obviously_ will be payment, and since this demand requires me to go to Idris, it won't be cheap."

"Of course Mags! I'll contact you as soon as possible!"

At this, Magnus froze. "As soon as possible?" he asked, "You mean I'm not needed there _now_? Especially with these, _demons,_ on the loose? Oh what is up with The Clave?" he sighed in pure sarcasm, "not that I'm surprised." Izzy was not amused by the last comment.

"This is a special case Mags. Like you said, it's new. And besides, considering your ever prevalent despise for the place," - Magnus rolled his eyes, again - "you wouldn't actually want to portal to Idris right at this moment, won't you?" Izzy strode towards the front door, ready to take her leave. Magnus responded with a faint snicker, and opened the door for her.

"No, of course not."

And that, was a lie.


	2. TWO

CHAPTER TWO

 _September 12, 2030_

"That is all for today. Thank you." The minute Alec ended his meeting with the Clave, the overwhelming feeling of fatigue shot through his body. The shadowhunter shuffled along the corridor towards his room, the back of his palms rubbing his eyes to fight the exhaustion.

Once in his bedroom, Alec plopped to his bed and sighed. _What a day_ , he thought. The Clave would and could not stop bombarding him with huge piles of paperwork, and with the peculiar case of a newfound demon threatening the land of Idris, the worry that has always bubbled in the hearts of the Clave doubled. As the new Head of The Institute, Alec has been burdened with a great amount of responsibilites, and expectations he desperately needed to live up to.

But he was tired. Extremely enervated.

He has reached a higher level of mental fatigue, and his head throbbed all day long. So when the task given was to find a warlock to identify this odd demon, he sent out Izzy to complete the assignment for him. Indeed he felt bad, but he needed rest. All he could do now was hope for his sister to get a highly reputable warlock back to assist this case. Speaking of warlocks, his eyes fell upon a framed picture on his table side.

 _Magnus Bane._

Upon the sight of the picture, Alec's heart clenched. Undoubtedly, the only thing the nephilim's heart yearned for was Magnus. The only regret in his life was leaving behind his lover, for a position he knew he could not take down. He had been given a decision to choose Magnus or Idris. He had unfortunately chosen the latter, and since that day he has always been filled with anguish.

Alec averted his gaze away from the painful photograph and stared at the ceiling, his back now fully pressed on the sheets of his bed. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and his eyes fluttered shut. Soon, sleep overcame him.

A few hours into his slumber, a knock on the door startled Alec awake. The door creaked open, and a blonde, well-built shadowhunter slipped in the room.

"Jace?" Alec murmured, and a yawn followed suit.

"Hey buddy," Jace closed the door gently before approaching his parabatai. "Happy birthday Alec."

"W-what?"

"It's your birthday you idiot. Did you forget?" Jace asked, amused.

"Oh gosh I did. Thank you Jace." Alec gave the blonde a lopsided grin. Jace gave a sheepish smile back, and this time, it was his gaze that fell upon the picture of the warlock. He sighed, placing a hand on Alec's shoulder.

"You miss him, don't you?"

Gulping, Alec nodded. "More than you know."

"Look buddy. It's been ten years, he has probably moved on by now, and you should too."

Alec did not like the idea of Magnus moving on from him, he despised the thought of losing Magnus completely. But then again, he was to blame. After all, it was he who landed himself in this position.

"I don't know Jace, I don't. Something inside me hopes that he didn't, because I haven't. I don't think I ever can move on from him. I know this sounds silly, but I don't Jace." Tears clouded his vision, but he held them back. No, he wasn't going to breakdown, not right now. Jace nodded in understanding, and squeezed Alec's shoulder.

"I know Alec. I do," he started, "But hey, it's your special day today, and I know you're tired, but you shouldn't be feeling this way. So why not we have a normal conversation yeah? I miss talking to you. You always seem busy."

"Well maybe that's because I actually am. I mean haven't you noticed? All The Clave has been doing is attack me with useless paperwork that would probably end up in a bin somewhere. And this demon? Gosh it can go and f-" Jace slapped his hand over Alec's mouth with an amused glint in his eyes.

"Okay that's enough. I get it. You're extremely busy. But I'm always here to help you okay?" Alec nodded, pushing away Jace's hand off his lips.

If only Magnus was here to help me too, he thought.

After a short catch up session, Jace took his exit, leaving behind a weary Alec. But no matter how hard Alec tried to dwell in the presence of sleep, he couldn't. The thought of Magnus was keeping him awake.

Knowing it would do him no good, he took another glance at the picture. Oh how he missed Magnus. He craved the ever so tender touch of the warlock, and the taste of his lips once more. He could not help but let his mind wander off to the realm of nostalgic memories; moments that captured two beautifully in love couple, their arms comfortably wrapped around each other, genuine smiles plastered on their faces. But then his mind began to play a rather painful memory. There stood a warlock, his cat eyes brimming with tears, eyes full of plea for the man before him to stay. Alec immediately shut his eyes, hoping to suppress the memory.

He could not bear to picture the hurt in Magnus's eyes again, neither could he accept the decision he had made. It was wrong for him to come to Idris, he knew it was. Yet it was his duty to uphold his family's reputation, to honour the family name. Lightwoods have never been one to turn down a leadership position, and he should not be an exception. He knew that if he were to have chosen Magnus, he would have tarnished the family name, and shamed his parents. He had not wanted to risk that, but if he had learned something from his relationship with the warlock, that is the importance of sacrifice. He should have sacrificed his name for his lover, but he didn't. He could not forgive himself for the awfully wrong decision he made, and he didn't know if Magnus could do the same.

At this very moment, Alec Lightwood, the Head of the Institute, laid helpless on his bed, flooded with complete regret.


	3. THREE

CHAPTER THREE

 _September 14, 2030_

After several attempts of persuading and dragging a very reluctant and overly anxious warlock out of his room, an exhausted Izzy and an annoyed Magnus stood next to each other at the centre of his living room, a luminous purple spark hovering and dancing above Magnus's palms.

"You are not backing away, and I am not hustling you out," Izzy warned, her breathing jagged. Magnus curled his lips and began to perform his magic. Orange radiant sparks ignited, creating a hollow and chromatic passageway.

"Well, here we go," Magnus sighed, interlacing his fingers with Izzy's. With one squeeze of the hand, the shadowhunter and the warlock immersed and disappeared in the sea of glowing flares.

In just split seconds the two stepped their foot on Idris soil. Almost immediately, the scent of fresh air sweeped into their nostrils, and a cold breeze nipped at their skins. "Welcome to Idris Mags," Izzy chirped.

"Oh what a sight," Magnus breathed, his eyes captivated by the beautiful scenery before him. The sky was painted with an alluring tint of pastel blue, murky white clouds splashed across the canvas, in which excited birds would often burst through. The land was embellished with a crowd of towering trees, and long knife-edged grass. The view before the warlock's eyes thrilled every fibre and passion for beauty in his body, and it almost dwindled the regret that had stuck with him eversince the portal ride.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Izzy inquired, also staring at the glamorous landscape in awe. Magnus nodded, but soon composed himself back out of the world of admiration, to reality.

"Anyway, where to now? The Institute I hope?"

Izzy snapped out of her daze. "Ah yes, of course."

"Shall we?" Izzy beckoned, and made her move across the field, Magnus tailing behind her.

Back at the Institute, Alec sat on the chair of his study, his head buried in a mountain of supposed useless paperwork. The Clave has finally decided to give him a break from the demon case, but to Alec's dismay, they did not take the paperwork away. So he sat, sequestered in his study, mindlessly scanning through the stack of papers before him.

Then came a knock on the door. "Come in," Alec called out.

The door creaked open, and slipping through the gap was Jace. "Hey Alec. Busy?"

Alec glanced at Jace and back at the papers. "I don't know Jace. You tell me."

"Right, I'm sorry," the blonde apologised, closing the door behind him. "Anyway, Izzy just contacted me a couple minutes ago, telling me that she had just arrived in Idris with a warlock to identify the demon."

 _Not this case again,_ Alec thought with slight annoyance. "Jace, The Clave has given me a break from this, and I intend to make full use of such rare blessings."

"Oh, and drowning yourself in that," – he waved his finger at the pile on the desk – "is how you're going to make full use of the blessing?"

Sighing in defeat, Alec stood up from his chair and advanced towards his parabatai. "Fine, you win. Where is she?"

As if on cue, familiar taps of footsteps ricocheted off the walls of the hallway. "Big brother!" yelled an angelic voice, "I have arrived!" And soon appeared the beautiful Isabelle Lightwood from the end of the hall.

"Glad to see you back Izzy," Alec uttered. Jace nodded as an acknowledgement of her presence. "Where's the warlock?"

"Well, there has been a slight problem with getting him in the Institute. You know the people here, especially the ones sent by The Clave aren't so fond of Downworlders."

"So you're telling me you left the warlock outside?"

Izzy sheepishly nodded. "You're the Head of the Institute. I'm sure you can get him in."

"You're my sister, and one of the most respected and distinguished nephilims in this Institute, why couldn't you bring him in?"

For a split second, Izzy froze, but she instantly collected herself and shrugged. "I don't know brother. This isn't Brooklyn, I guess things work differently here."

"And it took you ten years to finally come to that realisation," Jace sarcastically scoffed. Izzy rolled her eyes in response.

"Anyway, go get your warlock brother!"

Taken aback, Alec slowly inquired, " _My_ warlock?"

"Y-yeah. You know, the warlock you need. I mean, need for this mission," Izzy stuttered.

The parabatais gave her a skeptical and amused look, but the expression soon vanished from their faces when Clary suddenly appeared behind Izzy.

"Hey guys, what is Ma-" Without delay, Izzy's hands flew across Clary's mouth, cutting her off.

"There you are Clary! Come, I need your help in something. Uh, girl problems." Izzy clutched Clary's wrist, and pulled her away from the boys and out of their sight, leaving behind two bewildered shadowhunters.

"Well that was weird," Jace slurred.

"You tell me. But I really need to check on this warlock. Come with me?"

"I got a weird feeling about this. So I'll leave you to it. I'll check on those girls instead." Alec nodded, and they both parted ways.

Outside the Institute stood a freezing warlock, confounded as to why Izzy had asked him to stay outside. Magnus strolled back and forth, as he awaited the arrival of the woman who left him.

After ten minutes of waiting in exasperation, the door of the Institute swung open. Upon the creaking of the door, Magnus swirled his body, only to come face to face with an all too familiar and painful face.

There stood, Alec Lightwood.

Simultaneously, both men stood rooted to the ground, their eyes completely glued to each other.

Tension began to form in the air. None of the men made a single movement, and none of them dared to utter a word. They just looked at each other, their eyes filled with longing, anger and confusion, all at once.

Not wanting to dwell in the tangible tension any longer, Magnus gulped, and stepped forward.

"Mr Lightwood," he greeted, his voice slightly wavering.

"Mr Bane," Alec greeted back, his voice firm.

And just like that, the warlock managed to put up a professional front, and so did the shadowhunter.


	4. FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Putting up a front did no good in diminishing the still palpable tensity looming in the air. Both the men strided along the halls of the Institute with their heads bowed and mouths sealed. The deafening silence was only broken when they both reached the main hall, where Izzy and Jace had already been waiting for their arrival.

"Ah so you found him," Izzy beamed, her eyes glinting with mischief. Jace smirked next to her.

Knowing full well that his sister had lied to him, he glared at her before proceeding down the few steps and towards them, Magnus soundlessly following behind him.

"Has The Clave been informed of the assistance of Mr Bane?" Alec asked. Magnus's heart clenched at the new name, but brushed it off immediately. There was absolutely nothing going on between them, only and strictly business.

"Yes Alec, no need to worry about that," Jace answered.

Magnus decided to speak up this time. "I don't want to spend long here, I already miss my home. So why don't we get this over and done with and allow me to identify this demon?" He asked smugly. The three shadowhunters nodded and brought him to the nearby work table.

A holo screen illuminated from the desk, and the image that flashed on it shook the warlock. A broad ebony creature shone before him. With eyes so wickedly green, a dark void replacing its pupils, it stared at the eyes of the warlock with immense intensity. Its filthy mouth screaming malice, a row of deadly sharp teeth creeped from the inside. Insanely sharp claws and spikes stuck out of its gruesome body, droplets of dark green substance cascading down its jagged skin. One strike and buckets of blood would gush out the victim's body–an instant kill.

"What the hell is that?" Magnus blurted out in utter shock and perplexity.

"That was the exact same question that brought you here," Jace muttered scornfully.

"I've never seen one like this before," Magnus replied, "It seems powerful. Probably, but hopefully not, one of Lilith's."

"So that ugly dude's your brother?" Jace snickered, and Izzy slapped the back of his head.

"Him? Me? Well thank God we don't look alike. I mean, I'm clearly the better looking brother," Magnus joked, and this caused a giggle to escape Alec's lips, in which was immediately suppressed. The sound drifted in the warlock's ears like a lullaby, a melody that he has been longing for. The warlock glanced at the tall shadowhunter who stood close next to him, too close, and for a moment, his professional front slowly began to crumble. But remembering the desperate need for the demon's identity, he built the wall back and locked gazes with Izzy. "I can't seem to put a name to this filthy creature, but I can tell you right now that it's dangerous. Very dangerous. And it lurks around here somewhere, so sooner or later he and his pack would start to attack."

"And by then we would have to be ready," Izzy continued, and Magnus nodded.

"Right. I'll brief the Institute later on, and training would soon commence," – Alec turned to face Magnus – "Thank you Magnus for your help." A smile creeped up his face, and the warlock smiled back.

"I guess I'm no longer needed here. I wish the best for all of you, now I shall take my leave and finally enjoy a round of delicious medium rare steak. Oh, with a glass of wine of course, maybe two." Alec's smile widened at the last comment. _Typical Magnus and his love for drinks,_ he thought, _I miss that_. With a sigh, Magnus swirled around and made his move towards the exit.

He was walking away again.

But before Magnus could properly take his leave, Izzy called out for him. Confused, Magnus turned around and slowly made his way back. As he did so, Izzy pulled Alec closer to her so that her lips were levelled with his ear, and she whispered, "Talk to him, before I make you." And with that, she gave her brother a light thrust forward before dragging Jace away with her and disappeared.

Noticing Izzy's and Jace's sudden departure, Magnus furrowed his brow. "And why did she call for me?"

"Because we need to talk." The words that slipped out of Alec's mouth startled both the men.

"There is nothing to talk about Alexander," Magnus sighed, and Alec could not help but melt at the name. Oh how he missed being called that.

"Yes we do, but not here." Alec gestured to an empty and secluded corner of the room. Magnus gave in and reluctantly sauntered there with Alec.

Shaking the nerves off his body, Alec breathed in a gulp of air and faced Magnus. "I'm sorry."

Magnus shook his head. "Don't. It's in the past, I've dealt with it."

"You have, but I haven't. Magnus I, I can't stop thinking about what I did, about what I chose. I shouldn't have left you," Alec mumbled, guilt and regret striking him.

"But you did. You did Alexander. This is the life you chose, and it's the life you have to live. There is absolutely nothing that we can do about it," Magnus replied, his voice induced with a harsh tone.

"I know. I really do. But we can- I don't know, try. We can at least try." The desperation laced in Alec's voice pained Magnus, but he knew trying wouldn't work, nothing would. He had to leave, he had no place in Idris for his heart remained in Brooklyn, and Idris was too much of a foreign land.

"Alexander," Magnus faltered, "I have to go." Bringing his hand up to cup Alec's cheek, he brushed his thumb across the skin. Alec's eyes fluttered close upon the soft gesture.

Eyes still shut, Alec stuttered, "Y-you don't have to. Just stay, for a couple of days. Please." Magnus sighed. He really wanted and needed to leave, but the prominent pain in the shadowhunter's plea restrained the warlock from going. So with one last sigh of defeat, Magnus slowly nodded.

"Fine, but just for a couple of days, and I'll be off."

Alec's eyes flew open almost instantly, and the brightest grin appeared on his face. "Thank you."

Pulling his hand back, Magnus strained a smile. How could he ever say no to the man he so loved?


	5. FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE

Though their hearts still skipped a beat faster when together, Alec and Magnus tried to keep a distance from each other to uphold professionalism especially in times of crisis like this. However, it was Alec who constantly found it difficult to maintain such formality, and often found himself slipping into slight vulnerability and a love-struck moment whenever Magnus was around. Although it was usually the feeling of affection that would engulf Alec, guilt would sometimes find its way into the shadowhunter, bringing along with it the throbbing memory that Alec had spent years to extinguish.

He didn't know if Magnus felt the same way, if he was also suffering the way Alec was. But from the unwavering stern expression the warlock never took off, he knew he probably didn't.

But oh was Alec so terribly wrong.

The door of the guest room concealed a worn down warlock, his head filled with fond memories of the once couple to the brim. Every night he would lay on the bed, his eyes fixated on the bland ceiling, drowning in the pain of the past.

 _I shouldn't have stayed,_ he thought, his eyes now brimming with tears. He missed his apartment. He missed the homely scent of his room. He missed the hustle and bustle of the streets of Brooklyn. He missed home.

But somehow, for a reason he still failed to comprehend, _this_ _felt right._ Staying felt so right yet so wrong. He didn't know what to expect from his stay, neither did he know what he was going to get out from it. So the warlock remained slumped on his bed, thousands of different thoughts invading his mind, and an array of emotions washing over him in waves.

Just then, a knock on the door snapped him out of his trance.

"Magnus?" a faint voice filtered through the wooden door. Magnus froze.

It was Alec.

The sheets of the bed seemed to have tightened their invincible hands around Magnus. _Not right now,_ he thought. The voice came again, louder this time. "Magnus? You in there?"

Releasing a sigh, Magnus mustered up his courage and used it to steadily unwind himself from the grasp of the sheets. Drained and hesitant, Magnus slowly shuffled his way to the door.

In one swift motion, he swung the door open, and there stood Alec, arms clutched behind his back as usual. "Hey," he breathed.

Magnus forced a smile. "Hey."

"H-hey," Alec awkwardly started. "Sorry for disturbing you, but we need you now. It's important."

 _Yet another demand,_ Magnus silently thought, his heart dropping a little. Nodding, he stepped out of his room, and with Alec, strided towards the main hall.

There, a sense of dejavu fell upon them as Izzy and Jace greeted them. "Ah here comes the two lovebirds," Izzy chirped. Upon the words, a tint of red creeped up both Magnus's and Alec' cheeks, and while a cough slipped out of the warlock's lips, Alec simply rolled his eyes, and Jace let out a snicker.

"Enough nonsense," Alec sternly began, and the latter word pierced painfully through Magnus's heart.

"Now how can I offer my assistance?" asked Magnus. And almost immediately, the atmosphere turned serious.

Jace finally spoke. "We have some concerns about the demon. For the past few days, we've been evaluating and studying this horrid creature, but it has been difficult to find its weak spot." As the words flowed deftly out his mouth, the four walked towards one of the desks which illuminated the demon yet again.

It didn't take long for Magnus to successfully identify its weak spot, that hid beneath the thick layers of skin, a point directly next to its right arm. Magnus was surprised the shadowhunters weren't able find it, especially such professional ones in Idris. But then again, his accomplishment never failed to feed his pride, and his mild (but unspoken) superiority over the shadowhunters. Being a downworld has its downsides, and one of them is having to always face belittlement from the Shadowhunters. _Not all shadowhunters though,_ Magnus thought and shot a glance to the tall and dark shadowhunter next to him, _Not this one._

"I guess my work is done here," he declared, returning himself back to reality. Just as he turned around on his heels, a grasp of a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait," Alec murmured. Magnus tensed.

"What is it Alexander?"

"I was thinking, maybe, we could uh get a drink and I-I could show you around Idris, so we wouldn't have to be stuck here in the Institute," Alec stammered, the nerve in his voice distinct.

The shake of Magnus's head, and a simple, "I'm tired Alexander," in response to his request clenched his heart. But he was determined.

"Please Magnus, just tonight. I promise," Alec pressed, and yet again, the desperation evident in his tone struck Magnus, but he knew indulging in such an intimate hangout especially at a time where professionalism ought to be maintained was not the best idea. So he also stood his ground.

"Alexander please, I'm exhausted."

Alec didn't budge, and his hand was still clutching onto the warlock's arm. "Feelings aside, I promise."

Though that statement broke his heart a little, knowing full well Alec was not going to back down, Magnus eventually reluctantly complied. "Fine, just this once."


End file.
